Crystalline
by derpette-Waffle
Summary: Phil needs a sugar daddy, and he needs one quick!
1. Chapter 1

Phil was walking sideline to the small park across from his building, but the stairs would prove too much for him to stroll through the park itself. A strong gust of wind picked up a herd of red and orange leaves, all dry and drifting quickly along the sidewalk; all moved together as a group toward an unknown destination. He looked back down at his feet moving in a one-two rhythm, and out of the corner of this eye, to the other side, he caught a smaller leaf of a more muted color, scraping along, struggling to catch up. His mind decided that oh, that was his leaf –that was the Phil leaf.

Back down the block and fifteen stories up was his friends' new apartment, but without an elevator, he wouldn't make it to her bolt-locked door. He winced; he couldn't stand another night sleeping on the booth bench downstairs in the dining hall; the custodial staff could only look the other way for so long.

He headed back to campus with nowhere else to go.

He logged onto one of the computers and turned his monitor away from anyone who might've caught a glimpse of the Craigslist ad he had pulled up. Phil was honestly intrigued and disgusted when Chloe had shown him the seedy shit people would advertise on the site, but that wasn't what he was looking at. Well, it sort of was, but it was much more personal than the typical ads looking for indiscriminate sex.

The title read 'Cute Bisexual looking to pay College debt' –Chloe said the improper grammar was as intentional as leaving out Phil's gender. Underneath it he could click on the five pictures of what someone could get for their money, but even the thumbnails made his stomach drop. He knew these pictures –he'd posed for them for multiple shots, even took one or two of them himself— but he didn't like looking at them any more than he liked taking them.

The whole thing was a collective scheme from PJ and Chloe, and Phil was maybe a little too willing to go along with it in his desperation and insisting that it would work. "I know first- no, secondhand," Chloe had said, licking the whipped cream off her Coolatta, "that there are tons of rich guys out there who will spoil any girl who gives him a little attention and, you know." There was an awkward pause. "Some ladies, too; maybe you'll get lucky and snag one of them. I hear they're a little easier, less demanding." Phil ended the conversation there, absently turning to a concert they'd all fantasized about going to. But his mind was not on the music.

He shook the cursor over the thumbnails and debated whether or not he should look at them at least once. But the ad was already up; they were on the internet, and there was no going back now. His face went bright red and he minimized the window to step away for a moment.

He stared at himself in the bathroom mirror long enough to pull himself back together. He agreed to do this –he wanted to do it, even reluctantly. Bills were coming in and he needed somewhere to stay before winter kicked in. He nodded at his reflection and went back to the computer to look over the rest of the ad.

_22-year-old cutie looking for a sugar momma or daddy to invest in his education at Marsalis Film Institute – Basic finances should include the $3000 student loan deficit per semester of service, due in December and July – Offer should include living space – Serious offers only – Services negotiable. Please contact -_

It gave his email and phone number to text. His entire self was laid out on a white web background.

Someone came up and covered his eyes from behind. Phil yelped and jumped and turned for the relief in realizing it was just PJ. But Phil couldn't calm down just yet, tense before, only more so now. "You're going to literally give me a heart attack."

His friend sat next to him, laughing it off quietly. Phil settled down. "Thinking of taking yourself up on the sugar daddy offer?"

He shook his head, running his fingers through his hair. "No, I just needed to see it for it to be real."

"Chloe posted it?" He nodded. "Well, is it real enough now?" And again. There was a pause. "You still wanna do it, right?" PJ asked quietly, ready to take it down right now if Phil said no; but he didn't.

"I wanna do it, but Christ, I'm nervous." He rubbed his arms against the cold. The buildings never seemed to be heated well enough this time of year, like they were waiting for the next ice age to turn up the thermostat. "What other options do I have? I can't work, I tried that. Minimum wage is not worth it, and doesn't help no matter how much I save up."

"It's probably not the best idea we've had, but it's not a bad option." His friend shifted in his creaking chair. "Just wait for an offer. Two weeks, at most, I think. And when someone wants to meet with you to discuss, just make sure it's during the daytime, before the sun goes down, and in a public place. And if they make you uncomfortable or anything, leave. Don't put yourself through more than you can handle."

Phil nodded slowly, and thanked him for his advice. He'd make note of it somewhere.

"I've got class but I really don't wanna go; I have a twenty-minute presentation, and I'm excited," he admitted, "but I'm the only one, really. Not many people can get into interpretive work; 'so prententious.'" He laughed. "Do you wanna get dinner upstairs at six or something? Chloe will be out of work by then."

Phil nodded silently and forced a smile for him. PJ patted him on the back and reminded him to relax, and ran off with his backpack swung haphazardly over his shoulder. Phil took a minute to breathe, and told himself everything would be okay –it had to be.


	2. Chapter 2

"Dr. Howell, your four-thirty had to cancel due to personal reasons, and would like to reschedule." The voice on the speaker was that of an overworked secretary working overtime for her three children. Dan knew as much, and thanked her for her attendance.

Dan wondered if he had any upcoming open slots. "Would you check when I'm available?" He watched the metal balls clank on the stand he kept on his desk, a gift from a grateful patient. The voice came again, and told him there weren't any until December. Dan hummed and thought for a moment. "Give Mr. Henderson that slot in December, and thank him for his patience… Then take the rest of the day off."

"Thank you, Dr. Howell. I'll see you on Monday."

"See you on Monday, Julia. Have a good weekend."

Dan sat back in his office chair, suddenly bored, nothing left to do today but some paperwork that could reasonably be put off until the following work week. There was always talk in the office of how Dr. Howell ever got to his steadily affluent position in life with him being as big a chronic procrastinator as he was. He'd always give them the hands and answer, "magic," whenever he unwittingly overheard their gossip.

Along with the metal clackers propped on his desk, Dan had other neat little knick knacks that kept his office from being too dull. He always wanted to provide a warm, friendly environment, one that kept his patients coming back for more than his expertise and casual nature. He picked a plush ball up and tossed it into the air a couple of times before realizing he was still bored.

"I could go home…" Dan thought aloud. But home to what? Food, yes, but there wasn't anything else he could do there that he couldn't do in his office, and while he was on call anyway, he might as well stay put. He decided to take a walk to get some Chinese, and then be right back.

He'd walked a block and a half before his phone buzzed in his coat pocket. For a moment he was worried something had happened to one of his patients, but was both relieved and annoyed to find it was a text from his ex-wife.

'I heard Sophie or Stacey or whatever her name was is out.'

Dan growled to himself and punched in a response more aggressively than he normally would. 'I broke up with her. She spent over her limit and I got left with her outrageous bills.'

'Couldn't be because she found out about your male preference, could it?'

'I never kept any of it a secret from her. She deserved honestly.'

'Unlike someone else I know? Whatever, Dan. Mark told me you're fishing for another one. I'd recommend Craigslist or some other shit.'

Even if Erica was a first-class bitch, Dan couldn't ignore the light bulb going off over his head at the bitter suggestion, and made note of it. 'Girls and guys throw themselves at me and I'm more than willing to compensate them for their affections.'

She didn't reply until after Dan had gotten his food. He was halfway back to his office when his phone went off again, and he had to pause his munching on a crab rangoon to read it.

'We both know you can't get a man or woman unless you pay them.'

Dan glared at the message on his screen and decided not to reply. He wasn't on board for this malicious back and forth tonight, and would like to eat his dinner in peace.

Back in his office, Dan sat in front of his computer, riding the fence between checking out Craigslist like his ex had suggested, and retaining his dignity. But the more he thought about it, how likely was he just going to find a new companion in person, when everyone around him already had a very set view of Dr. Howell, and he didn't expect to meet anyone new in the coming months? He'd told himself when Sophie left that he would like to find somebody new by Christmas, someone he could spoil during the holidays, without coming off too much like it was out of charity. He didn't want to take in just anyone off the street; he wanted someone young and bright-eyed, someone with a potential for the future that he could finance. He wanted to help someone make their dreams come true, without the tabloids labelling it an obvious charity or publicity stunt. Dan got enough attention, enough disapproval, as it was.

And so he decided to at least give the site a chance before other options opened up.

Dan opened up an incognito window, even though no one would ever check his browser history, and went to the site, face burning. He went right for the search bar but had to pause for a moment to think –what was he looking for? He was going to be somebody's sugar daddy, he knew that. But he had to find someone young, strapped for cash, with undiscovered potential… He typed in 'college' first. And with nothing else coming to mind that he could add, he hit 'enter.'

For the next couple of minutes, Dan scrolled through pictures of airbrushed young women, and thoroughly read each description. Most of them seemed like nice girls, and viable options, but something wasn't feeling right, not clicking for him. He wished each and every one of them good luck in their endeavors as he scrolled down to the next one and then the one after that.

After looking through about two dozen young women, the first male in the bunch definitely caught Dan's eye. He was maybe in his early to mid-twenties, with young blue eyes that looked legit, and black hair everywhere. There were too many imperfections in his features for him to be very attractive from an objective point of view, but Dan could look past that; taking a few steps back, he certainly wasn't ugly or even unattractive. Satisfied and intrigued, Dan looked down at the description.

"So," he hummed. "A bisexual film student is looking for a place to stay and to pay off tuition fees." Dan considered this. He liked that the student hadn't built up student debt and was looking to relieve it all at once, or was looking for anything other than to supplement what student loans could offer (Dan knew how cheap and unforgiving they were.) "And he's open to the type of service? Well…" He leaned back and folded his hands over his middle, thinking. The ad clearly stated serious offers only, but he was definitely interested, even if he wasn't entirely sure why.

He copied the phone number on the screen into his phone to send a pleasant text: the boy in the photo looked half scared to death.

'I saw your ad. Let me take you out to coffee tomorrow.'


	3. Chapter 3

Phil had to tell his feet to move forward, one in front of the other, down the sidewalk en route to the small café where he'd agreed to meet him. His lungs felt like they were folding in on him, like they were overwhelmed by the anxiety and were going to just take a long nap and hope things would be better in the morning. But in the morning, Phil would still be stuck where he was, in debt, unemployable, effectively homeless –unless he could make this work. But he didn't want to.

He tugged his sleeves further down his arms, tucking his sorely numb hands into his sweater, and brought them to his mouth to warm them. He squeezed the last of any warm air out of his chest before ducking through the door of his destination.

A bell chimed not too far over his head to announce his entrance, and a barista at the counter gave him a mandated friendly smile. She welcomed him to the Hazelnut Roast. "What can I get for you today?"

Phil stopped in the doorway and thought of the crumpled two dollar bills he had in his pocket. "Um, nothing right now, thanks. I'm just meeting a friend." He shuffled over to a table in the corner, under a hanging plant that would surely hit his head if he wasn't careful. Dan had told him to meet him here, in the back of the café, next to the bathroom; back here, apparently, they could be discreet. Phil wasn't convinced, and his mind was elsewhere.

He was ten minutes early, but ten minutes after his arrival it still surprised him when a man –maybe mid- to late-thirties— approached his table. Phil sat up straight and a little closer to the wall, hoping the man was just going to use the bathroom and that it wasn't time to meet Dan already. But the introduction that followed shattered that hope.

"Phil?" And Phil nodded stiffly, staring up at the gentleman looming over him, even when he gave him a warm smile. "I've been waiting to meet you. Sorry I took so long." As he sat across from him, Phil took note of the time –no, he was very punctual, and must've just been extra nice to make up for the awkwardness Phil was radiating already. Dan made himself comfortable. "So, tell me about yourself?"

Phil couldn't get settled now, beating down a flight response for the sake of his own well-being. He had two dollars to his name and one chance to get out of his desperate condition. "What do you wanna know?" His voice was stilted; he couldn't force himself to come off as friendly to a man who'd done him no wrong.

The man shrugged and smoothed back his floppy brown hair. "Tell me about your interests; what do you do when you're not at school?"

"I… like to draw," he answered slowly, eyes now focused steadily on the rich wood of the table. "And listen to music." His hand willfully moved to hover the phone in his pocket, one of the few nice things he'd been able to buy for himself, and was indebted to PJ and Chloe for their paying his bill every month. He kept track; he'd pay them back. "But mostly I'm just doing schoolwork."

"You're in film school, though, aren't you?" He nodded. "That has to be interesting."

"It is, and I love it, but lately I've been falling behind on my projects, and—" He cut himself off, clearing his throat. "But yeah, mostly I listen to music and draw."

Dan nodded and smiled at him. "You'll have to show me some of your work, and your taste in music, sometime," he mused, receiving his cappuccino from a tired waitress. "A bit brisk out, isn't it?"

Phil nodded, but was getting antsy, no longer in the mood for small talk. He managed at last to look his counterpart in the eye. "Did you ask me here to talk about the weather or are you here on business?" he asked calmly, voice trembling but steady and soft, playing with a coaster on the table.

Dan sat up and straightened his jacket. "Well, I think we both know the answer to that." He coughed. "Your photos were very impressive: cute, but with enough sensuality and even overt sexuality to get my interest."

Phil nodded and didn't say anything. He'd rather not think about them, still.

"Your

"And you're sure you wanna do this?"

He nodded bravely. "Yeah, I'm sure. I just don't really know what I'm doing."

"Well, you wouldn't be my first sugar baby." Dan lowered his voice so any other café patrons wouldn't overhear. "You'd basically be my boyfriend, with everything that comes with that. And you get money, food, a place to stay… I think it's a pretty good deal. All you have to do is be there when I need you, and I'll take good care of you." He gave him a small smile, that of a man confident in both his professional and personal endeavors. "I promise."

Phil felt himself relax a little when he heard just how sure and experienced Dan was, but as for the situation itself, his reassurances could do little to make Phil forget. For now, he'd just have to put his trust in the man in front of him, give into his knowledge and wisdom, and hope that he'd be treated well. "Can you be more specific?"

Dan leaned back in his chair and stretched his arms over his head, before one hand reached into his pocket and pulled out a thick leather wallet. "I'll pay for your food and everything, as you'll be living at my place, anyway," he said coolly. "Your tuition that student loans won't pay, that three thousand a semester? I'll take care of that, too. You don't have to worry about anything like clothes or essentials; and you'll be sleeping with me in my bed, for obvious reasons." He paused. "I'll give you an additional three hundred dollars to spend on whatever you want." He smiled a little and looked Phil in the eyes. "What do you say, kitten?"

Phil blushed and smiled uncertainly. He allowed himself to think it over for a moment, but only a moment. At length, he made up his mind about the situation, and about Dan. "Let's do it."


End file.
